Hospitals serving Tipperary are effectively back in the 1970s due to the impact of the cyber-attack on the HSE IT system.
Computers can’t be used so all patients are having to be dealt with using a paper trail which is leading to lengthy delays.
Clinical Director for Medicine at UHL Dr Alexander Fraser gave the example of a CT scan which would normally be available across the network.
“Now when we do a CT scan the only way to look at the CT is on the screen of the CT scanner itself. It’s not connected with anything.”
“The Radiologist has to sit there – look at it – report it and write the report in the notes of the patient in handwriting.”
“While the Radiologist is doing that you can’t do anther CT scan so we’re down to about 20% capacity in terms of CT and you can extend that to plain x-rays, MRI etc.”
